Lesson 1Dough and butter selection: fat types, block vs sheeted butter, water content and gluten strengthThis part explains how flour strength, butter type, softness, and water content work together in laminated doughs, guiding you to choose fats, butter shapes, and water levels that give clean layers and easy sheeting.
Flour protein level and gluten strengthEuropean vs American style buttersBlock butter vs sheeted butter handlingWater content, plasticity, and chill pointAlternative fats and flavor considerationsLesson 2Butter-to-dough ratio, lamination math and desired lift characteristicsThis part teaches butter-to-dough ratios and lamination maths, showing how fold steps create layer numbers and how these choices affect lift, open crumb, eating quality, and production speed.
Typical butter-to-dough ratios by productCalculating layers from fold sequencesBalancing lift, richness, and costAdjusting ratios for line constraintsDocumenting formulas for repeatabilityLesson 3Sheeter and rolling equipment use, dough handling, and inline scaling/dividing for high throughputThis part trains you to use sheeters and rolling machines safely and fast, covering dough thickness goals, reduction steps, flouring, trimming, and straight scaling and dividing for steady big output.
Sheeter setup, safety, and sanitationStepwise reduction and thickness targetsManaging dough tension and shrinkageFlouring, dust removal, and scrap useInline cutting, scaling, and portion controlLesson 4Enrobbing and freezing: partial bake, blast freezing, and reheating protocols for distributionThis part explains partial baking, cooling, wrapping, and blast freezing for laminated items, plus storage, moving, and reheating steps that keep lift, flakiness, and eating quality in products sent out.
Par-bake parameters for frozen productsCooling and moisture equilibration stepsBlast freezing curves and core targetsPackaging, storage, and transport rulesRebake and reheat instructions for clientsLesson 5Common faults for laminated pastry and targeted corrective stepsThis part lists common laminated pastry problems and links each to causes and fixes, helping you adjust dough, lamination, proofing, and baking to quickly get back steady product quality.
Poor lift and dense internal crumbButter blowouts and side leakageIrregular or collapsed layer structureGreasy mouthfeel and oily bottomsUneven color, blistering, and spottingLesson 6Detrempe formulation and chilling schedule to control gluten and butter migrationThis part focuses on detrempe mix and chilling, explaining mix building, dough temperature, rest times, and cooling plans that control gluten strength and stop butter moving during lamination.
Target dough temperature at mixer exitMixing time and gluten development levelSalt, sugar, and fat effects in detrempeChill schedule between lamination turnsPreventing butter smearing and greasingLesson 7Baking for laminated pastry: oven types, convection effects, steam or dry bake, temperature profiles and bake timingThis part covers baking settings for laminated pastry, including deck and convection ovens, air flow, steam handling, temperature plans, and timing to get full lift, even colour, and crisp but soft crumb.
Deck vs rack and convection oven behaviorLoading patterns and airflow managementSteam quantity, timing, and ventingTemperature curves for different sizesColor, internal set, and bake-out testsLesson 8Quality checks: layer count verification, butter distribution, leakage detection, moisture and texture testingThis part sets quality checks for laminated pastry, including layer count, butter spread, leaks, moisture, and feel, using cut tests, weighing, and taste checks to keep steady standards.
Counting and verifying layer structureChecking butter distribution and voidsDetecting butter leakage and greasingMeasuring moisture and water activityTexture, flakiness, and bite assessmentLesson 9Resting and proofing: temperature and humidity control to optimize oven spring and layer developmentThis part details resting and proofing plans that protect lamination, covering dough relax, temperature and humidity ranges, proof times, and balancing gas making, butter hardness, and final oven spring.
Bench rest after mixing and laminationRetarder and retarder-proofer settingsTarget proof temperature and humidityVisual and tactile proofing indicatorsPreventing butter melt and layer collapseLesson 10Lamination techniques: single vs double turns, book vs letter fold, number of folds for commercial croissantsThis part compares single and double turns, book and letter folds, and sets best fold numbers for commercial croissants, balancing layer clearness, butter wholeness, dough strength, and speed in big lines.
Single turn method and layer outcomeDouble turn method and layer outcomeBook vs letter fold: when to choose eachFold count targets for croissant linesAvoiding over-lamination and tough crumb
